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Re: 'migrate' and 'emigrate'

Originally Posted by Nikole

In plain words. To emigrate- when you leave for another country and immigrate- when you return to your motherland.

Up to a point Nicole (this is a euphemistic way of saying 'you're wrong')! To emigrate is indeed to leave for another country. 'Immigrate' is quite a rare word - I had to check whether it exists. Much more common is the noun 'immigrant' - someone who has left his or her country and is living in the country in question (often the present country): a Russian who has emigrated from Russia to England is an immigrant.

Re: 'migrate' and 'emigrate'

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I don't find the verb immigrate uncommon or unusual in the least. (Maybe an AmE-BE difference?) But, I'd only use it to describe moving to a foreign country. I do agree, though, that immigrant is quite common - as is immigration.
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Re: 'migrate' and 'emigrate'

As far as I know the question was about the difference between migrate and emigrate not immigrate.
'migrate' can be used for animals or for people.I have always connected it with animals actually.
However,on looking it up in the dictionary:
1.When birds,fish,or animals migrate, they travel from one place to another at the same time each year.
2. When people migrate, they move to another place, often a different country, in order to find work and a better life.
emigrate-to leave your own country to go and live in another one
Immigrate-to come and live in a different country
Note the difference- to leave and to come
Queenbu

Re: 'migrate' and 'emigrate'

Originally Posted by queenbu

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Note the difference- to leave and to come
Queenbu

That's a good one. Thanks - I'll use it in my lessons.

Philly: I was overstating the case when I said 'quite a rare word' - I think I just meant 'a lot less common' - googling 'immigrate' finds 2.2M hits, but 'immigrant' finds 34.5M - I estimate that at about 1:15. But I think you're right about the BE/AmE difference. Googling just UK pages gives the ratio as <50K/1.2M, which makes the difference a fair bit bigger - especially when you bear in mind that the UK figure contributes to the overall figure. (I know this is a very crude measure, but it points in a meaningful direction.)